The Best Fall Seasonal Beers Among 16 We Tasted

This past weekend marked the official beginning of both fall and Munich, Germany’s 16-day Oktoberfest or “die Wiesn” festival. That means it’s time to stock up on fall beers, whether your tastes lean towards Oktoberfest beers (German-style Märzens), ESBs (Extra Special Bitters) or red ales. We picked 16 promising fall seasonal ales from our local beer store (Ale Yeah in Decatur) to enjoy as the air grows colder.

Our panel of 13 judges spent an afternoon tasting all our fall beers and ranking our favorites. Please note, that pumpkins beers have their own list, which will be updated soon. Here they are, worst to best.

16. Blue Point Oktoberfest Brewery: Blue Point City: Long Island, N.Y. ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 5.5% Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest Perfect For: Putting out your backyard fire pit. The Verdict: A boring, lager-like flavor with an off-putting aftertaste put this one at the bottom of our list.

8. Motor Boat Ale Brewery: Sweetwater City: Atlanta ABV: 5.6% Style: ESB (Extra Special Bitter) Perfect For: Those Indian Summer days on the lake. The Verdict: Leave it to an Atlanta brewery to make it’s fall seasonal good for unseasonably warm days with a lemony hop bite.

6. Left Hand Oktoberfest Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company City: Longmont, Colo. ABV: 6% Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest Perfect For: Strapping on those Lederhosen. The Verdict: Left Hand gave their Märzen a nice hop bite, making it one of the most flavorful of the fall line-up.

4. Duck-Rabbit Dopplebock Brewery: Duck-Rabbit City: Farmville, N.C. ABV: 8.5% Style: Dopplebock Perfect For: Dessert. The Verdict: Fall may be the season of subtlety, but Duck-Rabbit went big with their seasonal offering. At once malty, chocolaty and spicy.

3. Victory Festbier Brewery: Victory Brewing Company City: Dowington, Penn. ABV: 5.6% Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest Perfect For: Throwing your own 16-day-long Oktoberfest party. The Verdict: Complex for an Oktoberfest with hints of honey, hops and spice—but no one flavor overpowers the others. The best of the Märzens.

2. Southern Tier Harvest Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company City: Lakewood, N.Y. ABV: 6.7% Style: ESB (Extra Special Bitter) Perfect For: Sailing on a chilly day. The Verdict: There’s a growing trend of hoppier fall seasonals, and this was the best one we tasted. An exceptional ESB.

1. Weyerbacher Autumn Fest Ale Brewery:WeyerbacherBrewing Co. City: Easton, Penn. ABV: 5.4% Style: Red Ale Perfect For: Aug. 21 to Dec. 21. The Verdict: Outside of Dogfish Head, Weyerbacher may be the most creative American brewery at the moment, and their fall seasonal is one of the best amber/red ales we’ve tasted. Unique spices and a full, round flavor—especially for a 5.4% beer—make this a great choice for any fall day. Weyerbacher also won last year’s Pumpkin Ale tasting.